Bi-Weekly Book Reviews for Ambitious Achievers

dreams

We all have goals, dreams, and priorities that never get done. I have things that I procrastinate regularly as I’m sure you do too.

Here’s the rub. We often think that if we will just use our willpower and get back on track, we can blast through our to-do list, multitasking to keep everyone happy along the way, and emerge victorious winners of the rat race.

His book, The ONE Thing, co-authored with Jay Papasan, encourages you to think through your various roles withthe lens of what they call “The Focusing Question.”

What is the one thing I can do, such that by doing it, everything else becomes easier or unnecessary?

This focusing question is an extension of the “Pareto Principle.” The Pareto Principle states that 80% of the results come from 20% of the activities. Because of this, we look specifically for the highest value for effort. Another great application of the Pareto Principle can be found in the book Eat That Frog by Brian Tracy (it’s about overcoming procrastination).

Pause a second and read the quoted question again. This shouldn’t be a trite process as you determine your one thing. It has to be something you can do. Picking out unrealistic activities helps no one. Saying, “such that by doing it” implies that you are committed and can finish this one thing. Most important, it has to have a ripple effect on the rest of your to-do list. And not only that, you must push yourself to ask if it will make EVERYTHING else easier or unnecessary?

Here’s my story. After graduating college I wanted to continue rigorous reading, to work on public speaking skills, to be more literate in the digital world, to create passive income, to add value to the world, to inspire people of my generation, among other things. 🙂 Way too lofty? That’s just how I think.

I hadn’t read this book but I figured if I could be accountable to an audience, I would have built-in pressure and would be less likely to wimp out. I decided to start a book review YouTube channel.

Looking back, I see this principle in action. By committing to weekly uploads for the first 8 months, I had no choice but to read a book a week and bring value to the videos I was making. Making videos had a direct effect on my ability to communicate and I had no choice but to learn how to edit video in the process. Do I make thousands of dollars or reach millions with useful content? No. But if I don’t start somewhere, I’ll never get to serve that many people.

For those of you that don’t know Seth Godin, go type “seth” into any search engine, and he’s the first result.

But, for anyone who has been even remotely connected with the marketing world of the twenty-first century, the name Seth Godin is probably not new.

The concept of “Tribes” in the current era has also made it’s way through the cycle of introduction, fads, and then, rather than fading away, it is now part of the lexicon of business jargon.

The book, written in 2008, makes sweeping declarations about the opportunity available for individuals to lead a tribe. Some people criticize the book for making these generalizations as it seems they would like more of a textbook approach to leadership.

Seth Godin, rather than responding to his critics, makes it a point of his to define leadership as those people who are willing “to do things that might not work.”

This is at the core of the book Tribes: We Need You To Lead Us. The idea is that a tribe leader doesn’t create the tribe, she merely provides a way for those with shared interest to communicate and coalesce.

While I totally disagree with Godin on certain worldview issues, I believe he has one of the best minds on building trust and attention in the marketplace of ideas. At the end of this article there will be a couple links to some long-form interviews with Seth Godin. If you are at all interested in building a group of people or an audience, you owe it to yourself to pay attention to what this man has to say.

In this week’s video, we talk generally about assumptions and specifically about “Sheepwalking.” The book, and the article just linked, defines “Sheepwalking” as: “the outcome of hiring people who have been raised to be obedient and giving them a braindead job and enough fear to keep them in line.”

Enough fear to keep them in line.

Ever thought you’d like to try something great at work but didn’t because you might get in trouble?

Ever thought about starting a blog to share your ideas but didn’t?

Ever wanted to start your own business but decided it was too risky?

Our culture, and our education systems are designed to churn out individuals who can work a job optimized for the industrial age. The problem is that we ceased to live in that age back in the early 90s.

As I was writing this article and trolling through Seth’s blog & Google results (If you’re not subscribed, try it! It will make you think every day), I found this video from him given to a group of kids at a TEDxYouth event. I am going to go watch it, and I’d encourage you to as well.

Think about your ambitions. Go lead a Tribe. Don’t be held back by the fears supplanted into your mind on top of your dreams.

Your personal reader, I’ll test the books in this series for you!

Jon DeLange is the owner of Jumpsix Marketing Grand Rapids and Director of Development at Lakeshore Pregnancy Center. Find him reviewing books on YouTube as "Why Should I Read That." Visit jondelange.com to keep in touch!